Judge blasts Oregon prisons doctor; says must follow CDC rules
Marion judge requires beefed-up COVID-19 safety measures, recognizes arbitration process for prisoners seeking release.
A Marion County judge this week blasted the doctor in charge of health care at Oregon s prisons, approving a settlement that essentially requires the state to follow Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
The decision comes as dozens of lawyers around Oreggon have been waging a campaign to secure early release for clients who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. In filings around Oregon they ve argued Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Department of Corrections are not ensuring safety or releasing vulnerable inmates as they should in light of the disease s rapid spread in Oregon s prisons.
Oregon prisons report 41 deaths, 3,333 COVID-19 cases to date Salem Statesman Journal UP NEXT
The Oregon Department of Corrections has so far reported 41 deaths and 3,333 positive cases of COVID-19 among incarcerated individuals.
It has had 794 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among staff.
Here is a breakdown by location as of Jan. 27 of total positive cases:
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility: 219 inmates; 39 staff.
Coffee Creek Intake Center: 70 inmates; 12 staff.
Columbia River Correctional Institution: 245 inmates; 24 staff.
Deer Ridge Correctional Institution: 273 inmates; 43 staff.
Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution: 458 inmates; 74 staff.
Mill Creek Correctional Facility: 35 inmates; 15 staff.
Oregon State Correctional Institution: 244 inmates; 36 staff.
Oregon State Penitentiary: 385 inmates; 122 staff.
Deer Ridge Correctional Institution, near Madras, OR.
Credit Oregon Department of Corrections
Three of the inmates were at the Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla. The fourth was an inmates at Deer Ridge in Madras.
The Oregon Department of Corrections doesn’t release identifying information about those who die from COVID-19.
But the agency did say all four died at local hospitals and were between 55 and 85 years old.
Oregon has struggled with how to address COVID-19 in its prisons. So far at least 32 people in custody have died from the disease since the pandemic began last spring. At least 10 of those deaths have been this month.
Third Deer Ridge inmate dies after testing positive for COVID-19
KTVZ file
(Update: DOC says twp Two Rivers inmates 30th, 31st to die with COVID-19)
Outbreak at prison near Madras has eased, with 23 active cases
MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) An inmate at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution near Madras who tested positive for COVID-19 died Saturday at an area hospital, the Oregon Department of Corrections reported.
The adult in custody (AIC) was between 55 and 65 years old, the agency said in a news release. As with other COVID-19-related deaths, the DOC did not release additional details.
As with all in-custody deaths, Oregon State Police have been notified, and the Medical Examiner will determine cause of death.
UMATILLA, Ore. (AP) Two inmates at Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla and another at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in Madras have died in the past week after testing positive.